Victim's Family Upset Over Killer's Sentence

by Ashley Kringen, Reporter
December 20, 2012 8:44 PM


A 19-year-old Sioux Falls man will spend the next 25 years behind bars.

A judge sentenced Dwight Ree Thursday afternoon for his involvement in the gruesome murder of Gue Ayuel in 2011.

The family of Ayuel left the courtroom upset and in tears, after the judge gave a 25 year punishment to Ree, one of the men who brutally killed Ayuel.

"We lose," said Juowuei.

Ayuel's cousin said 25 years is not enough for the crime committed and loss of their loved one.

"Do you think the guy will change when he gets out of prison? No, he will kill again," said Juowuei.

In June of 2011, court documents said Ree and Jerome Ewing were out drinking with Ayuel, that's when officials said a night of fun turned deadly.

The Minnehaha County States Attorney said Ayuel died from blunt force injury to the head after Ree and Ewing punched and kicked Ayuel.

According to the prosecuter, the two men then smashed Ayuel's head and body with rocks and tried to hide evidence by lighting him on fire, leaving his lifeless body in an alley.

"The bad thing about it, the way he died, we don't appreciate the way he died," said Juowuei.

He said the United States is a great country, one where dreams can come true, but that's no longer an option for Ayuel.

"We thought the child would come to the United States for a better life," said Juowuei.

Along with Ayuel's cousins, his mother and sister shed many tears as they listened to the fate of their brother and son's killer.

Ayuel's family does not believe justice was served, but their mood changed, when asked, what Ayuel was like.

"He's a handsome boy, he's a good man," said Juowuei.

The other man behind the violent crime, Jerome Ewing, will be faced with his sentence Friday morning.